Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who makes an offer to buy something, especially at an auction: A "bidder" is someone who states the price they are willing to pay for an item that is being sold, typically in a competitive public sale.
   • A person who makes a bid in a card game: In games like bridge, a "bidder" is a player who states how many tricks their team intends to win.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Auction/Offer Context):
  • The painting was sold to the highest bidder. (The person who offered the most money bought the painting.)
  • Several bidders were interested in the antique vase. (Several people made offers to buy the old vase.)
• Noun (Card Game Context):
  • The bidder in our bridge game predicted they would win nine tricks. (The player who made the bid said their team would take nine tricks.)

Advanced Usage

• "To go to the highest bidder": This idiom means an item is sold to the person who offers the most money. It can also be used metaphorically.
  • The contract for the new building will go to the highest bidder. (The company that offers the best price will get the job.)
• "Sealed-bid auction": In this type of auction, each bidder submits a secret offer in a sealed envelope.
  • In a sealed-bid auction, no bidder knows what the others have offered.

Variants and Related Words

• Bid (verb/noun): To make an offer; the offer itself.
  • He decided to bid $500 for the chair.
• Bidding (noun): The process of making offers.
  • The bidding for the house started at $200,000.

Synonyms

• Offeror: A person who makes a formal offer.
• Tenderer: A person or company that submits a tender (a formal offer to do work or supply goods at a stated price).

Related Phrases

• Outbid: To offer a higher price than someone else.
  • We were outbid by another bidder at the last second.
• Opening bidder: The first person to make an offer in an auction or card game.
  • As the opening bidder, she set the starting price.

Noun

1. someone who makes a bid at cards
2. someone who makes an offer